1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automotive accessories and, more particularly, to accessories for facilitating the alignment of the hitches of a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the most frustrating and difficult tasks for the driver of a motor vehicle to perform is to align/couple the trailer hitch of a towing vehicle with that of a trailer. The reason for the difficulty is the fact that the respective trailer hitches are out of the sight of the driver. Therefore, it was traditionally necessary to have a second person direct the driver into alignment with the towing vehicle. Otherwise, if the driver attempted such a task alone, the driver would have to repeatedly exit the vehicle and walk around to the rear of the vehicle to determine the relative locations of the hitches. Aside from the obvious difficulties and frustrations associated with aligning the hitches, there is also the risk of vehicle damage caused by the driver misjudging the distances required to couple, thus colliding the towing vehicle with the trailer.
A number of hitch alignment devices have been devised which attempt to solve the problems discussed herein. A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related.
The following patents disclose a fixed sight member magnetically attached to the towing vehicle to facilitate a trailer hitch:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,621 issued in the name of Lockwood
U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,138 issued in the name of Berry
U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,526 issued in the name of Myers
U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,814 issued in the name of Clayton describes a trailer hitch with magnetic sensor system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,852 issued in the name of Fairchild discloses a trailer hitch alignment device with a pulley magnetically mounted to the trailer hitch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,352 issued in the name of Mills describes a trailer hitch alignment device utilizing masts with several magnets.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,116 issued in the name of Evertsen discloses a trailer hitch positioning aid having a magnetic switching unit.
And, U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,376 issued in the name of Neeley describes a magnetic mirror mount for facilitating a trailer hitch alignment.
In spite of these attempts, many impediments remain to a commercially available device for use in non-commercial applications. For example, such a device should be easily mountable and dismountable, vertically adjustable, structurally rigid, mechanically stable, and above all simple and economical to manufacture. Use of electronics, either audio or visual, result in an impractical product for the non-commercial market.
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus and method which allow for the use of magnetically affixed, telescoping poles having a linear alignment of measuring indices.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide for a device for aiding in the alignment and coupling of the towing hitches of a towing vehicle and its trailer.
It is a feature of the present invention to provides a user with the means to individually align the respective hitches through a simple and comprehensive design which is compatible with a great variety of vehicles and hitch types.
Briefly described according to the preferred embodiment, the present invention essentially provides a driver of a towing vehicle with the visual reference points to individually align the towing hitches of a vehicle and its trailer. The invention accomplishes this task with the use of two masts, one for mounting to the hitch of the towing vehicle, and one for mounting to the hitch of the trailer. Each mast is comprised of at least two sections which attach together to form a single mast. This provides for ease of storage of the device when desired.
Preferably, at the top of each mast is a series of linearly aligned spacing indicia, used to aid in determining not only alignment, but also relative distance between the trailer ball and trailer hitch.
An advantage of the present invention is that is provides a trailer hitch alignment device that is easily mountable and dismountable to most any conventional trailer hitch device.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it is vertically adjustable, allowing for universal use for a variety of sized vehicles and trailers.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it is structurally rigid, allowing for straightforward direction of the hitch to be aligned.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that it is mechanically stable, allowing easy use free of breakage an failures that can result from whether, complicated componentry, and the like.
Still yet another advantage of the present invention is that it is simple and economical to manufacture, utilizing a minimum number of different components that are all easily made, procured, formed, or assembled.